By

‘Crackpot councils are wasting thousands of pounds by suing THEMSELVES over parking tickets. At least six local authorities have issued tickets against their own vehicles – then refused to pay the fines to themselves. Some cases went through a staggering 14 stages before reaching a Parking Appeals tribunal. One farce saw Islington Council in North London issue a ticket, then take itself to an appeal hearing – where it asked for costs against itself. The costs process involves another four steps. Stunned adjudicator Gerald Styles said he could not make an order for costs because the council could not “act wholly unreasonably or vexatiously against itself”.’